Mikhail Shibanov (XVIII century - 1789)

Mikhail Shibanov

Mikhail Shibanov (Russian: Михаил Шибанов) was a Russian painter renowned for his contributions to the genre of portrait painting during the 1780s. His origins are humble; he was born into serfdom under the ownership of Prince Grigory Potemkin, with no definite records of his birth date available. Shibanov's artistic education took place at the Academy of Arts where he studied household painting from 1770 to 1780​.

Shibanov's work primarily captured the life of peasants and Russian nobility through his realistic and genre paintings. Notably, he painted "Peasants' Meal" in 1774 and "The Celebration of the Wedding Agreement" in 1777. His mastery is exemplified in the portraits of significant historical figures, including the "Portrait of Count Alexander Dmitriev-Mamonov" from 1785, and the "Portrait of Empress Catherine II with Traveling Dress" created in 1787. These paintings are preserved in prominent Russian museums such as the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum​.

Despite the limitations of his status and era, Shibanov's work left a lasting impression in Russian art history, embodying the characteristics of the Neoclassicism movement. His exact death date remains uncertain but is recognized as post-1798​​.

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